The Opelousas courier., 1887-08-27
DISCOURAGED MAN.

thing, when the odds are against you.
1t was John Harris who was doing tn
talking. His wife was sewing button
on the children's clothes after they hat
gone to bed. AS she held the button
in her mouth, to prevent them rolling
off, she had no opportunity to answe
her husband, even if she had the incl
nation.
Mr.. Harris resumed:
'I'm clean discouraged, that's what
am! Of course | don't think of myself
Mrs. Harris lip curled a little, and
one button escaped, and rolled undcl
the table--s'it's you and the children
I'm worried about"-anothcr button
rolled away-''and if it wasn't for leay-
ing you alone, Mary, I'd
He did not finish what he was saying
as just then Mrs. Harris coughed and
all the buttons few out of her mouth.
SIS il such d bad %failure2' she asked
presently. She wa darning the child
rcn's stockings now, having sewed ON
all the fugitive buttons.
ut couldn't be worse. When o mans
partner takes all the money out of the
business and skips to a foreign country,
everybody hounds him to death as if he
had been dishonest. All the creditors
are c'amoringg for their money, not be-
cause they need it,but because / haven I
got il. It's NO use, Mary, I'm a ruined
man and I'm going to find a way out of
it all.n
'HowW asked Mrs, Harris calmly,
although the long, slender needle she
was using trembled and vibrated in her
hand.
"There are more ways than one, "he an
swered significantly. II shall not live
to sec you want, or to be a burden on
you and the children. There is no dis
honor attached to my nam, now. We
have lived within our means and tried
earnestly to succeed. It was rash, I sup
pose, to embark nil in one venture and
lose til"
"You have not lost ALL" suggested
his wife; "you have health, wife and
children and an unblemished character,
Poor capital, these retorted her
husband gloomily. mo, I am going to
give upl tell you, Mary, I'm o dis
couraged mani You don't know what
is to endure business worries; women
are sheltered and protected from ali
those annoyances."
Are theyr' answered Mrs. Harris
with dry lips. She had done the work
d three women that day. She had been
cook, and nurse. now was scamstress.
She had cut and c%ontrsved, counted
and was engaged to give music
lessons to The doctors daughter, to Offset
their last years bill. Her who..e frame
quivered with the pain Of Jared and
nerves. But it never entered
into her mind that she dared to COM
plain. doc the Next Thynge,n was the
motto she had framed and hung mp
where she could see it, many times a
day.
aAs / say" continued her husband
9 spell Of gloomy thought, there
way out Of il, and many q man has
been driven to it. I won't live and be
prosecuted by q mob Of circumstances. II
were out Of the way you and fhe chill
ircn would have enough to I've on
comfortably the rest Of your lives. lis
anticipating i lnal fate by d few
months or years z
Mrs. Harris folded the last pair Of
stockings and laid them neatly away. A
title smile hoverel about her lips.
John y she said in d firm voice, z
i last favor 70 ask 81 you
What IS it, MaryW
Don die Id the housed I,
Before the astonislaed man could
peak, she continued:
Because II would ID so unpleasant
the children and for me. It is olr
lonae. hare the deed 81 il il my pos
ession, sent To me by my father yestc.-
~. And I should hate to have any m
@&$@ II
DleasaEt ASSOCIATIONS connected with Il.
should very much dislike to have yon
Iurisd at the foarcorners near here with
stake driven through yosa, though
'soplc uoald soon f.rgst Tint uc ever
to you. For / would not own
! being The widow u 1 coward 81 lel
u children bear his aaiae. And oven
gou mere not held responsible | would
4 ashamed ~ think you had written
our own epiEaph Hsrc lica ! dis
uaraged man. 4
John Harris ~ dumb With surprise.
knoV continued hs WIFI hat
4 fayoFiIo hing ri men ID III TINT
aay - get eak i Il, and fhat
'1HAsa 81 nob realize hos desperate